2012-13 Course Descriptions

BMFT - Marriage and Family TherapyDepartment of Marriage and Family Studies (CBS)

BMFT 601 Pre-Internship (3-0-3), fall. Combined practicum and lecture format. Students gain counseling experience through role-playing with each other. Emphasis is placed on basic counseling skills as well as awareness of students' own family of origin. Prerequisite: admission to the MFT program.BMFT 602 MFT Internship I (3-0-3), spring. Supervised practice in marriage and family therapy. Emphasis on a wide variety of experience. Prerequisite: admission to the MFT program. Same as BMFT 603, 604, 605.BMFT 603 MFT Internship II (3-0-3), fall.BMFT 604 MFT Internship III (3-0-3), spring.BMFT 605 MFT Internship IV (3-0-3), summer.BMFT 610 Couples Therapy (3-0-3), fall. An introduction to the theories and techniques of marriage and family therapy as applied to the work of those persons who deal primarily with couples.BMFT 634 Addictive Disorders (3-0-3), fall. Designed to address the spectrum of addictive disorders (chemicals, relationships, food and sex) with the focus on the biological, social and psychological aspects of the addictive process. Emphasis will include diagnosis and treatment strategies from a systemic perspective.BMFT 639 Family Theory/General Systems Theory (3-0-3), fall. A comprehensive exploration of theory in family studies and therapy. The role of theory in empirical investigation, conceptual framework, and strategies of theory building useful in the interdisciplinary study of marriage and family behavior will be examined.BMFT 641 Family Therapy I (3-0-3), fall. A study of supportive counseling principles and methodology in the area of functional family problems and needs. A systems approach will be utilized.BMFT 643 Professional Ethics and Law (3-0-3), summer. A survey of the professional ethics and laws relative to the practice of marriage and family therapy.BMFT 645 Marital and Family Assessment (3-0-3), spring. An overview of administration, scoring and interpretation of assessment instruments used in marriage problems. Some emphasis on report writing.BMFT 651 Sexual Therapy (3-0-3), spring. The Christian-oriented implementation of contemporary sexual therapy in formal and informal settings.BMFT 661 Family Therapy II (3-0-3), spring. Intense exposure to at least three currently-practiced modalities of Family Therapy. Prerequisite: BMFT 639 and 641.BMFT 662 Family Life Cycle (3-0-3), spring. Equipping the marriage and family student with an understanding of how to integrate the individual, marital and family developmental cycles into clinical case conceptualization, diagnosis and treatment.BMFT 663 Cultural Diversity in Marriage and Family Therapy (3-0-3), fall. This experiential course will explore areas of cultural diversity relevant to gender, ethnicity, and class in psychotherapy practice, with an emphasis on developing cultural competence, sensitivity, and awareness. Other dimensions of diversity may be covered to a lesser extent.BMFT 665 Therapy Across the Life-Cycle (3-0-3), summer. Individual and family developmental stages with therapy skills emphasis for families, children, youth, and older adults.BMFT 696 Theological Perspectives on Human Behavior (3-0-3) summer. A study of the interrelationship between theological and systematic explanations of human behavior and how they may be integrated in psychotherapeutic practice and/or ministry settings while maintaining the integrity of both. Same as BIBM 696.

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Join Craig Fisher, ACU director of alumni relations and annual projects, as he takes you on a tour of the renovations taking place at historic Bennett Gymnasium.